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PACOM: Moving the Throttle Forward in the Pacific

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Happenings

PACOM: Moving the Throttle Forward in the Pacific
By Admiral Timothy J. Keating, USN and Lt. Col. Terrance J. McCaffrey III, USAF

This article is an updated version of Admiral Keating and Lt. Col. McCaffrey’s article in the 4th Quarter 2007 issue of the Joint Forces Quarterly, issue 47. Admiral Timothy J. Keating, USN, is the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command. Lt. Col. Terrance J. McCaf frey III, USAF, is Deputy Director of the Commander’s Action Group, Headquarters U.S. Pacific Command.

“The opportunities are immense, they’re profound, and we’re going to capitalize on them....That is what we will be about in the Pacific Command — service. Service to our friends, to our allies, to all departments, and we will be working hard with our commercial partners to ensure a better quality of life, to ensure free lines of communication, to ensure the development of free and democratic societies throughout our area of responsibility.”

Admiral Timothy J. Keating, USN
Commander, U.S. Pacific Command

I have been privileged to serve in the Pacific before. But now, from my vantage as commander of U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM), I have gained a fuller appreciation for the vibrancy, diversity, and complexity of the Asia-Pacific. You can sense the optimism among the region’s 41 nations. I also see a region with security challenges, where the U.S. military continues to play an indispensable role in preserving stability. But in the main, I judge the future as one where opportunity outweighs risk. In this article, I convey my sense of the area of responsibility – both challenges and opportunities. I am proud to lead the men and women of USPACOM as we work – along with the interagency communities, allies, and partners – to help shape a bright future for the nations and people of the Asia-Pacific.

USPACOM capabilities have facilitated the region’s recovery from multiple crises – from major wars to natural disasters – by establishing conditions of security and stability. Security and stability have been at the foundation of the economic boom in the Pacific, particularly over the last three decades. Since World War II, Japan, Republic of Korea, India, and now China have joined the U.S. at the top of the list of the world’s largest economies. Among the leaders of the Pacific, there is unquestionably a sense of enormous potential for continued economic growth. At the same time, more and more regional countries see the value of fostering mutual security through cooperative approaches between nations and their militaries. USPACOM welcomes this shared sense of responsibility for meeting mutual security goals. As such, the command is actively pursuing military-to-military activities within existing bilateral frameworks, while encouraging more multilateral venues and supporting the development of new strategic partnerships. These efforts are vital to our security, compatible with our national interests, and beneficial to the entire Asia-Pacific region.

USPACOM envisions a future of peace and prosperity among all members of the Asia-Pacific community. To be successful in this regard, USPACOM must leverage the great advantages of the region – diversity, economic strength, healthy alliances, strong partners – while overcoming the challenges of vast distances and weak government institutions in some nations. We operate within a geopolitical environment characterized by:

• 41 diverse independent nations with over 100 languages and 1,000 dialects;
• varied government systems, including democracies, constitutional monarchies, communist states, and military regimes;
• many of the world’s major religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and Taoism;
• nearly 60 percent of the world’s population, including the four most populous nations (China, India, Indonesia and the United States);
• five of the top 10 economic powers (the United States, Japan China, Canada, and India);
• mutual defense treaties with Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, and Thailand (five of the seven U.S. mutual defense treaties);
• vast distances, spanning 51 percent of the earth’s surface and covering 16 time zones; and
• extensive littoral areas and sea approaches.

Roles
USPACOM plays an important role in realizing the future. We plan to build that future on three important foundations:

• support of U.S. national interests as established in the National Security Strategy and National Military Strategy;
• force capability and readiness for all levels of activity, from humanitarian relief to winning wars; and
• cooperation with other U.S. Government departments and agencies, as well as our allies and partners, to create the conditions for regional security and prosperity.

As an engaged member of the community, we have laid a healthy foundation for our future efforts. We see opportunity in abundance. We also know that the USPACOM force posture and operational methods must adapt if we are to make common progress with our allies and partners. Significant conventional and long-standing regional flashpoints are well known, but we must address broader, non-traditional threats as well. We must also fully leverage growing U.S. and allied military capabilities, particularly the agile and responsive nature of our forces. Collaborative work with allies to improve our military alliances indicates the command’s intention to contribute to a more peaceful, prosperous Asia-Pacific. We will seek to harness the leadership, partnership, and support of the Pacific nations as we move forward to achieve mutual security goals.

E-mail: apdforum@apan-info.net